Film

Sex Drive

Name: Sex Drive
Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Romance
Released: 2008
Cast: Josh Zuckerman, Amanda Crew, Clark Duke, James Marsden, Seth Green

Comedy
Light-hearted

A high school road movie about a nerdy kid driving across America to meet an online crush, dragging his best friends along for the ride. It's broad, horny, and genuinely funny—built on chemistry between its cast and a willingness to be both silly and sweet. For anyone who loved the earnest comedy of early Apatow or remembers when road-trip movies were actually fun.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy raunchy teen comedies that treat cringe, friendship and awkward road-trip misadventures with real affection, and you don't mind your laughs coming from very crude places.

Skip it if you want a sharp, plotted comedy, since the story is a loose sequence of set pieces and the gags lean heavily on juvenile humour and sex talk.

What it asks of you: Under two hours of fast, scrappy scenes, mostly bright and loud, with little room for quiet moments.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Superbad2007

Two best friends on a single night trying to lose their virginity before college. Sharper dialogue, deeper heart, and the same infectious energy about male friendship and sexual anxiety that makes Sex Drive work.

But It's been culturally absorbed to death; feels less fresh now than it did. Also genuinely crude in ways that aged worse than you'd expect.

Road Trip2000

College kid drives cross-country to stop his girlfriend from cheating on him. Same DNA—ensemble cast, absurdist humor, genuine affection for its characters underneath the raunch. Criminally underrated.

But The dated early-2000s energy won't be for everyone. Some of the comedy is genuinely awful and you have to let it wash over you.

American Pie1999

High school friends make a pact to lose their virginity before graduation. It's the godfather of this whole subgenre—sincere about adolescent anxiety, funny without being mean, and actually interested in its characters as people.

But Slower paced than Sex Drive and leaning harder into sentiment. The dated tech and fashion might distance you.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Sex Drive

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Cannonball Run1981

Both are ensemble road movies where the journey and the friendships matter more than the destination; both love their characters enough to let them be genuinely dumb and kind simultaneously.

An all-star ensemble (Burt Reynolds, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise) in an illegal cross-country race for huge stakes. Same DNA—a road movie that's really about friendship and chaos, with that specific '70s/'80s male-friendship energy that Sex Drive is channeling.

But It's basically a collection of sketches with a thin plot connecting them. Pacing is loose and some bits don't land, and it's very much a product of its era in ways that feel dated.

Old School2003

Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Luke Wilson in an anarchic comedy about starting a college fraternity. Similar tone of absurdist male friendship and permission to be completely ridiculous while still caring about the characters.

But Relies heavily on Ferrell's commitment to humiliation comedy. Some sketches go nowhere and the pacing sags in the middle.

National Lampoon's Van Wilder2002

Ryan Reynolds as a seventh-year college senior refusing to grow up. Lighter and more earnest than you'd expect—actually sympathetic to its protagonist and genuinely charming underneath the party-movie premise.

But The humor is softer than Sex Drive's and some bits feel aggressively middlebrow. Reynolds's charm can't carry every scene.

Porky's1981

The template for every high school sex comedy that came after. A gang of boys trying to lose their virginity at a brothel, shot with surprising warmth and ingenuity on a small budget. Pure joy.

But The sexual politics are genuinely offensive by modern standards. Also shot on 35mm in 1981, so it looks and sounds very much like it.

EuroTrip2004

High school graduate travels across Europe after being dumped. Genuinely charming ensemble, good-natured humor, and it actually loves the places it's visiting rather than just using them as a backdrop for pranks.

But The romance plot is thin and the supporting characters feel like they're there to check boxes. Uneven tonal shifts.

National Lampoon's Vacation1983

Chevy Chase drives his family across America to Disneyland and everything goes wrong. The granddaddy of road-trip comedies—smart, consistently funny, and genuinely affectionate under the chaos.

But Family-focused rather than friend-focused, so it has a different vibe. Some of the humor is gentler than what Sex Drive offers.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants2005

Four best friends separated for summer stay connected through a magical pair of jeans. Surprisingly genuine in its portrayal of female friendship and coming-of-age anxieties, with warmth and humor in equal measure.

But Tonally softer and more earnest than Sex Drive. It's genuinely sincere about its emotions in ways that might feel saccharine if you're looking for more edge.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants poster

Mysterious Skin2005

Both are road movies about young men searching for connection and understanding, built on authentic friendship between characters. One is a comedy, one is a tragedy—but they're exploring the same emotional terrain.

Two men drive across America together, each searching for answers about their shared childhood. Structurally a road movie with genuine chemistry between leads; tackles vulnerability and male friendship with complete seriousness. Joseph Gordon-Levitt gives one of his best performances.

But It deals with child sexual abuse directly and unflinchingly. This is not a fun ride—it's profound and deeply sad, and the tonal shift from Sex Drive couldn't be more extreme.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople2016

Both find genuine heart in mismatched friendship dynamics. Both understand that male bonding and vulnerability can coexist in comedy. Both are fundamentally about the importance of showing up for people you love, even when it's inconvenient.

A grumpy old man and a teenage foster kid go on the run in the New Zealand bush. Taika Waititi finds genuine warmth in an unlikely buddy dynamic, mixing comedy and real emotion without ever choosing between them. Funny, moving, and unexpectedly touching.

But The pacing is deliberately rambling and the humor is understated. If you want big laughs and broad jokes, this trades those for something quieter and more character-based.